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Anti-Data Center Activists Clash with Pro-Growth Advocates at Tech Event

Anti-Data Center Activists Clash with Pro-Growth Advocates at Tech Event

At a 'Data After Dark' party held at PubKey, a Bitcoin bar, anti-data center activists confronted pro-growth advocates regarding the environmental and societal impact of data centers. The event, attended by individuals in business attire, featured a DJ and screens displaying tech-related visuals, including Ana de Armas as an AI character from 'Blade Runner 2049' and blinking servers. Frazier McCollum, an anti-data center activist, raised concerns about potential rolling blackouts in Maryland due to data center energy consumption and the impact on local communities' access to air conditioning and electricity. She expressed fears that unchecked data center expansion could lead to a lack of essential services. In contrast, Neeraja Deshpande, a conservative writer, argued that many concerns were exaggerated or solvable, suggesting nuclear reactors as a solution to energy issues without increasing emissions. The discussion highlighted a fundamental disagreement between those prioritizing immediate environmental...

Maryland Governor Establishes Task Force and Plans to End Data Center Tax Break

Maryland Governor Establishes Task Force and Plans to End Data Center Tax Break

Maryland Governor Wes Moore has issued an executive order on September 23, establishing a state task force aimed at scrutinizing new data center proposals. This task force will compel data center developers to cease closed-door dealings and work to minimize the adverse impacts of their projects on local communities, ecosystems, and energy infrastructure. Concurrently, Governor Moore has announced plans to roll back state tax incentives for data centers, a move that has been met with mixed reactions, particularly from environmental groups who desired a complete pause on new data center development. The proliferation of energy-intensive data centers across the region has prompted local leaders, including the Baltimore City Council, to seek solutions and safeguards. Earlier this year, the Baltimore City Council approved a temporary one-year moratorium on the construction of computing complexes within the city and initiated a study to assess their potential impact.

Exclusive-US lawmakers including Sen. Warren push energy regulators to reject acquisition of power company AES

Exclusive-US lawmakers including Sen. Warren push energy regulators to reject acquisition of power company AES

By Laila Kearney and Sumit Saha NEW YORK, Sept 29 (Reuters) - A group of US lawmakers including Senator Elizabeth Warren asked federal energy regulators this week to reject a more than $33 billion sale of power company AES, saying it could drive up electricity bills and benefit data centers at the

Anthropic's path from AI startup to industry-defining IPO

Anthropic's path from AI startup to industry-defining IPO

Sept 28 (Reuters) - Anthropic's IPO prospectus, reviewed by Reuters, laid out a sweeping vision in which AI would reshape the global economy more profoundly than industrialization, electricity and the internet, as the Claude maker moved closer to what could be the first listing by a frontier AI lab.

Micron forecasts quarterly revenue, profit above estimates on AI memory demand

Micron forecasts quarterly revenue, profit above estimates on AI memory demand

By Anhata Rooprai Sept 30 (Reuters) - Micron Technology forecast quarterly revenue above estimates on Wednesday, signaling it expects the AI-driven memory chip boom to continue powering its growth. Shares of the Boise, Idaho-based company rose over 1% in extended trading.

Maryland Utilities Seek Approval to Return $160 Million in Tax Refunds to Customers

Maryland Utilities Seek Approval to Return $160 Million in Tax Refunds to Customers

Maryland Utilities Seek Approval to Return $160 Million in Tax Refunds to Customers

Wall St climbs as cooling inflation tempers Fed rate-hike concerns

Wall St climbs as cooling inflation tempers Fed rate-hike concerns

By Shashwat Chauhan and Tharuniyaa Lakshmi Sept 30 (Reuters) - Wall Street's main indexes gained on Wednesday, as a softer-than-anticipated inflation reading buoyed hopes that the Federal Reserve might not hike rates as soon as next month.

Analysis-Alternative capital powers America's next wave of LNG and pipeline projects

Analysis-Alternative capital powers America's next wave of LNG and pipeline projects

By Vallari Srivastava, Curtis Williams and David French HOUSTON, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Alternative asset managers deploying cash from their insurance arms are reshaping how America's energy infrastructure is financed, emerging as major backers of LNG export projects and the pipelines moving crude and

Exelon to Return $160 Million in Tax Refunds to Maryland Ratepayers Following Court Ruling

Exelon to Return $160 Million in Tax Refunds to Maryland Ratepayers Following Court Ruling

Exelon, the parent company of BGE, Delmarva Power, and Pepco, has committed to returning $160 million in state-issued tax refunds to its Maryland customers. This decision follows a Maryland Supreme Court ruling that sided with Potomac Edison in a lawsuit against the state. Potomac Edison had argued for an exemption from Maryland's sales tax on purchases of transmission and distribution equipment. The court agreed, stating that transmission-owning utilities qualify for a production sales tax exemption and that the state must refund wrongful payments. The total state payout, including interest, is estimated to be around $280 million. Exelon's share of this refund is $160 million, with $110 million allocated to BGE, $20 million to Delmarva Power, and $30 million to Pepco. Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman, while disagreeing with the ruling, called on utilities to return these refunds to their customers, asserting that the money belongs to ratepayers as taxes are recovered through customer rates.

Meta Secures 144MW Texas Solar Farm Deal with Apex Clean Energy for Net-Zero Goals

Meta Secures 144MW Texas Solar Farm Deal with Apex Clean Energy for Net-Zero Goals

Meta Secures 144MW Texas Solar Farm Deal with Apex Clean Energy for Net-Zero Goals

Maryland Lawmakers and Advocates Seek to Extend 'Flush Tax' for Chesapeake Bay Restoration Beyond 2030

Maryland Lawmakers and Advocates Seek to Extend 'Flush Tax' for Chesapeake Bay Restoration Beyond 2030

A coalition of Maryland state legislators and Chesapeake Bay advocates are planning to discuss the extension of the state's 'flush tax' during the 2027 legislative session. This fee, which funds the Bay Restoration Fund (BRF), is currently set to be halved in 2030. Since its inception in 2004, the 'flush tax' has generated $2.3 billion from property owners, enabling significant upgrades to wastewater treatment plants across Maryland. These upgrades have been instrumental in preventing hundreds of millions of pounds of nutrients from entering the Chesapeake Bay, thereby mitigating the formation of low-oxygen 'dead zones' that harm aquatic life. The fund has supported enhanced nutrient removal technology at 66 out of 67 major sewage treatment plants and 17 minor plants, with 16 additional minor plants in the planning stages for upgrades. Del. Dylan Behler (D-Anne Arundel) highlighted the BRF as one of the most crucial and successful environmental funding efforts in the state.

AI Data Center Boom Strains U.S. Power Grids and Spurs Community Opposition

AI Data Center Boom Strains U.S. Power Grids and Spurs Community Opposition

The rapid proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) data centers across the United States is placing significant strain on local power grids and generating widespread community opposition. These hyperscale facilities, which house thousands of servers, demand massive amounts of electricity for operation and water for cooling. The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) reports that electricity consumption by data centers is projected to nearly double from 485 TWh in 2025 to 950 TWh by 2030, primarily driven by AI facilities. While this represents a modest percentage of global energy demand, it is the fastest-growing component. Areas like North Carolina and Northern Virginia are experiencing explosive growth in electricity demand, sometimes 20 to 30 percent, due to the concentration of these data centers. This concentration is often a result of companies seeking cheap energy, large land tracts, permissive regulations, and proximity to major cities. Local authorities, eager for investment, have offered ...